Molly: The old drug with a new name

Anonymous IUSB students talk about their experience with the drug

New York’s Electric Zoo Festival, pictured here, is where two people recently died after overdosing on Molly. The drug is popular at music festivals

By: AMANDA BARNETTStaff Writer

A drug known as “Molly” has been popping up in popular culture lately, referenced in songs by Miley Cyrus, Kanye West and Madonna.

“Molly” and “Ecstasy” are both forms of MDMA or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Molly typically refers to MDMA in powdered form that is usually contained inside a capsule, while ecstasy is in pressed tablet form. Both forms are man-made and known for being notoriously impure.

Molly has also been showing up in the headlines for causing fatalities.

According to the Boston Globe, two people, including a University of New Hampshire student, died from suspected Molly overdoses at New York City music festival in September. The last day of the festival was canceled.

In early September, a 19-year-old Plymouth State University student died following a House of Blues concert in Boston. Investigators believe she overdosed on Molly. Two others were hospitalized for overdoses.

In order for MDMA to be cost effective for the sellers it normally contains fillers which are other substances and chemicals. Common fillers are caffeine, amphetamines, cocaine and acetaminophen. It is known as a festival drug because it is often taken at music festivals. Molly is known to amplify the musical experience.

An experience with Molly typically begins with ingesting a capsule that has a white powdery substance inside. Soon after, depending on the purity, the high kicks in.

“It made everything better. It made the colors more vivid and sounds more intense. There was obviously a feeling of euphoria. It intensifies everything,” said an anonymous male student at IU South Bend.

He was referring to his first experience with Molly while attending Bonnaroo music festival in 2008. He was 20 years old at the time.

“The first time I ever did Molly I was at North Coast Music Festival. I was at a hula hoop station and it was right there I decided to do it because it’s supposed to make you dance more,” said an anonymous female student at IUSB.

The purest molly is considered by users to have the feeling of both a stimulant and a psychedelic. The high typically lasts four to six hours.

“I’m a pretty social guy in the first place but the molly made me wander up to random people. It had me hanging out with people I didn’t know. I got in the groove with them and danced around,” said the same anonymous male student.

The female student admitted to feeling more “lovey.”

There is a hangover that most users experience the day after doing Molly.

“There is a hangover but it is not like the hangover you feel the day after drinking. A lot of people get in a ‘funk’ the day after doing Molly. Sometimes you’ll feel sad the next day,” said the female student.

Pricing on Molly varies. The male student disclosed a typical dose for him would cost anywhere from $30 to $50.
The female student said, “I’ve gotten it for free many times but it’s normally $20 a roll.”

Both of the users who were interviewed admitted that every time they used Molly, each experience was different. The unique experiences are caused by the amount of MDMA in each dose coupled with the other substances and chemicals added in. The rumor is that Molly is a more pure form of MDMA than ecstasy, but there is no proof of that.

“Weed is different than Molly because it’s grown. When it comes to Molly you don’t know if it’s baking soda,” said the female student. “The first time I did Molly was the cleanest Molly I’ve ever taken,” she said.

“I’m not saying its okay that I take it, but when I do I make sure to have a ton of water and a full stomach,” said the female student.

This is how she protects herself from bad experiences with Molly. She said she has seen a lot of people at music festivals extremely dehydrated and unhappy after taking a dose of the drug.

However, according to a recent TIME article about the drug, “while staying hydrated can reduce the risk of heat stroke associated with MDMA, the drug can also cause the body to retain water, so drinking too much can lead to a potentially fatal electrolyte imbalance.”

In order to protect himself, the male student admitted he is never the first to try it. He always has his friends try the batch of capsules first.

Both students disclosed that the drug is not hard to find, and that they plan on doing it in again in the future.